BRIDGEWATER — Regarded as a hard thrower early in his professional career, Brandon Braboy thought he made significant strides with his control during his third season in the Yankees farm system. He just could not stay healthy long enough to get on a mound and prove it to anyone until now.

In the five weeks since he joined the Somerset Patriots, the oft-injured Braboy has gone from a wild card to an ace in the bullpen based on the combination of a nasty fastball and command of the strike zone. He was available Monday night as the Patriots faced the Lancaster Barnstormers at TD Bank Ballpark.

“I’ve always been a power guy,” said Braboy, who averages 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings for his career. “In 2010, I turned a corner with my accuracy, but I was the only one who knew I had figured it out.”

Since the middle of the 2010 season, the 26-year-old right-hander has undergone two hip labrum surgeries and Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He tossed 11 scoreless innings in Yankees minor-league spring training earlier this season before tearing a calf muscle during routine pitcher’s fielding practice drills.

The latest injury caused Braboy to get released and consider retirement — a decision that would have been a mistake judging by his results in the independent Atlantic League.

“I never thought about quitting except for after the calf injury,” he said. “That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe this isn’t meant to be.’ I was at home trying to do all my rehab. I’m really happy I stuck with it, so far.”

Braboy is 2-0 with a team-best 1.47 ERA, 24 strikeouts and just three walks in 181/3 innings as one the Patriots’ primary set-up relievers. He is holding opponents to a .200 batting average that includes marks of 2-for-25 with runners on base and 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

“I just try to get ahead on the first pitch,” said Braboy, adding that he feels even stronger now than he did when he battled signs of a “dead arm” about two weeks ago. “It’s a lot easier to pitch 0-1 instead of 1-0. I throw harder and try to be aggressive early in the count.”

The astonishing 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio calls to mind Patriots’ closer Andrew Dobies, a softer-throwing left-hander who signed a Double-A contract with Kansas City last season.

“He just comes in the game and goes right after the hitter,” manager Sparky Lyle said. “He had good numbers before the surgeries – and he’s been through a lot — but he has pitched really well. He’s one of those guys you can use versus righties and lefties.”

Partial credit for Braboy’s dual effectiveness belongs to refining a put-away slider years in the making.

“My fastball used to be in the 93 to 96 (miles per hour) range and I feel like it’s pretty close to that again — there might be a little more life now,” he said. “But my breaking ball is better now than when I was with the Yankees. I’m able to throw it more consistently. I’ve had more practice, more experience.”

Of course, Braboy’s experience also tells him to be cautious. He passed the test of throwing multiple innings — three scoreless Aug. 19 against Bridgeport — but has yet to work on back-to-back days.

“People keep telling me, ‘You should play winter ball,” said Braboy, who was in line to pitch a second consecutive day until Sean Green’s complete-game five-hitter on Friday. “I just want to stay healthy until the end of the season and then we’ll see where I’m at.”